Tri-level railcar

ABSTRACT

A tri-level railcar wherein the B deck is fixed along its entire length, rather than having hinged end sections, so that the B deck contributes to the strength and rigidity of the car. To provide sufficient clearance in the A1 and A5 positions, the B deck is positioned at a higher elevation than in conventional prior art auto rack cars. Clearances above each of the three decks may be approximately equal. High cambered decks are preferably employed at both the B and C level. The overall height of the railcar is preferably about 20′2″. All three decks may be continuously loaded and unloaded without the need to stop loading and unloading to pivot the B deck end sections. The ability of the B deck to function as a structural member of the railcar from end to end may eliminate the need for cross braces, i.e., brace bays, as included in typical prior art tri-level auto racks. The side wall posts may all be of the same or similar cross-section.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0001] This application claims priority based on U.S. provisionalapplication No. 60/347,133, filed Jan. 9, 2002.

[0002] The invention relates generally to railcars, and moreparticularly to an improved railcar for carrying automotive vehicles incommercial rail service.

[0003] For many years, tri-level auto rack railcars have beenconstructed by building racks on flatcars. In conventional railcars ofthis type, the deck of the flatcar functions as the first deck of thetri-level car, and the second and third decks are supported by the rack.The first, second and third decks are commonly referred to as the A, Band C decks respectively. The A deck typically has a depressed centerportion between the trucks, whereas the B and C decks are at a generallyuniform elevation along the length of the car. The clearance over the Adeck is accordingly greater along the depressed portion.

[0004] Conventional tri-level cars have hinged end sections on their Bdecks to increase clearance or drive-in height at the ends of the Adecks. The hinged end sections are pivotable between raised positionsfor providing increased clearance, and lowered positions for supportingautomotive vehicles. The end sections are typically raised and loweredmanually during loading and unloading operations. To facilitatecontrolled raising and lowering of the end sections, springs aretypically provided to apply upward force to the hinged sections whenthey are in their lowered positions.

[0005] The clearances at the ends of the A deck are typically quitelimited when the hinged end sections of the B decks are in their loweredpositions. Accordingly, in a typical tri-level railcar carrying 5automobiles on each deck, the positions at each end of the A deck, i.e.,the A1 and A5 positions, must be occupied by automotive vehicles withvery low profiles, or otherwise must remain empty during transport.Thus, while the hinged end sections of the B deck permit flexibility incarrying various types of automotive vehicles in the three middlelocations on the A deck, the A1 and A5 positions are of limited utility.

[0006] In order for a railcar to be commercially viable for use incommercial service, the rack structure must have sufficient strength andrigidity to withstand many years of dynamic loading during transport ofvehicles. The loading on the rack includes longitudinal loads associatedwith acceleration and deceleration of the railcar, as well as variousother loads associated with the motion of the car, the weight of themotor vehicles supported on the rack, loading and unloading of the motorvehicles, and the weight of the rack itself.

[0007] The rack structure typically relies on vertical posts to supportthe B and C decks, and relies on the B and C decks themselves tocontribute strength and rigidity to the rack. The hinged end sections ofthe B decks must have sufficient strength and rigidity to support theweight of motor vehicles during loading, unloading, and transport whenin their lowered positions, but typically do not otherwise contributesignificant strength or rigidity to the rack structure. Among otherstructural members of the rack, a cross-brace or brace bay is typicallyincluded in each side wall between the A and B decks and between a pairof posts near the hinged joint associated with each of the hinged endsections of the B deck.

[0008] While tri-level railcars have proven to be a safe, cost efficientoption for transportation of automotive vehicles, room for improvementremains in certain areas. One problem is that the brace bay contributesweight and expense to the railcar, and also locally reduces interiorwidth, limiting the vehicle width that can be accommodated, and limitingthe space available for drivers to walk past the vehicles during loadingand unloading operations. Another problem is that the hinged sections ofthe B deck contribute expense without significantly contributingstrength and rigidity to the rack structure. The need to raise and lowerthe hinged sections also increases the time required for loading andunloading, and adds to the amount of labor required in loading andunloading operations. In addition, the hinged sections requirelubrication and other maintenance.

[0009] Various alternatives to the conventional tri-level cars describedabove have been developed. It is believed that in some tri-levelrailcars manufactured and sold in the United States several years ago,the hinged end sections of the B deck did not extend the full width ofthe B deck. In these cars, the B deck had fixed edge portions extendingalong the entire length of the railcar. Other tri-level auto rack carsare described and shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,979,335 and U.S. Pat. No.6,273,004.

[0010] There remains a need for further improvements in methods andapparatus for transport of automotive vehicles by rail.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0011] The invention provides a tri-level railcar that eliminates theconventional hinged end sections of the B deck. The B deck is preferablyfixed, i.e., bolted or welded in place along its entire length, ratherthan having hinged end sections as in the prior art cars discussedabove, so that the B deck contributes to the strength and rigidity ofthe car. To provide sufficient clearance in the A1 and A5 positions, theB deck is positioned at a higher elevation than in conventional autorack cars. A minimum clearance of 65{fraction (15/16)}″, plus or minus1½″, measured 30″ off center, may be provided for each of the threedecks. Clearances above each of the three decks may be approximatelyequal. The car is preferably capable of carrying automotive vehicles upto about 63″ in height, including the PT Cruiser on each of the decks,without requiring any upward displacement of end sections of the B deckto accommodate such vehicles on the A deck.

[0012] The railcar may be based on a conventional flat car, an upsillflat car, or a flat car having a 39½″ ATR (above top of rail) runningsurface. To facilitate maintenance of appropriate clearances, highcambered decks are preferably employed at both the B and C level. Theoverall height of the railcar is preferably the maximum permissibleheight, which under current regulations is 20′2″.

[0013] Provision of fixed decks facilitates loading in that the allthree decks may be continuously loaded and unloaded without the need tostop loading and unloading to pivot the B deck end sections. Thus,circus loading is much more efficient.

[0014] The ability of the B deck to function as a structural member ofthe railcar from end to end may eliminate the need for cross braces,i.e., brace bays, as included in typical prior art tri-level auto racks.Elimination of the brace bays may reduce costs and weight, and may alsoincrease interior clearances, and simplify door edge protection.

[0015] The railcar described above may also eliminate the need forheavier posts at certain locations. In conventional tri-level auto rackcars, the number 3 and number 4 posts, i.e., the third and fourth postsfrom the end of the car, are often heavier than other posts. The railcardescribed herein may eliminate the need for these heavier posts.

[0016] The railcar may also have identical B and C deck assemblies, thusgreatly reducing the number of parts needed to build the rack. That is,rather than having a B inner deck, two B outer decks, and a C deck, thecar may have identical B and C decks. In commercial production, thiswould reduce the number of machine setups required to manufacture parts,and would reduce the number of materials needed in inventory. It islikely that this would also reduce the costs of parts, since they wouldbe manufactured and/or purchased from suppliers in greater numbers.Similar economies of scale would also be possible with the postassemblies, due to the greater number of standard posts and theelimination of the need for conventional cross braces and heavier postsat certain locations.

[0017] Parts that are included in a conventional tri-level auto rack buteliminated in the preferred auto rack of the invention include fourhinge assemblies, four hinge support assemblies, 8 cone assemblies onposts and 8 on-deck cone assemblies, four deck support assemblies onposts and four on hinge decks, four deck lock receivers, four deck lockassemblies, four deck lift chain and/or spring assemblies, and 8 liftattachment assemblies. These parts would be replaced with 24 standardbolting plates, with a great reduction in labor and fixturing.

[0018] The preferred embodiment may also feature additional improvementsincluding lighter post tubes, smaller post gussets at the joint betweenthe post and the flat car, lighter knee braces, and lighter boltingplates. Shear plates may be used between some or all adjacent posts.

[0019] In the preferred methods of manufacturing the railcar of theinvention, automatic welding and robotic assembly may be used to agreater extent than in the past, due to the reduced number of differentparts and greater number of identical parts. The costs of fixtures wouldalso be reduced for the same reasons.

[0020] Use of the preferred embodiment in commercial rail service would,of course, eliminate the significant lubrication and maintenancerequirements associated with the hinged deck sections on conventionaltri-levels.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0021]FIG. 1 is a side elevational view of a railcar in accordance witha preferred embodiment of the invention.

[0022]FIG. 2 is an end elevational view of the car of FIG. 1, with oneof the end doors removed.

[0023]FIG. 3 is a transverse sectional view taken substantially alongline 3-3 in FIG. 1.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

[0024] The invention is preferably embodied in a tri-level auto rackrailcar 10. The railcar comprises a flatcar 12 having a rack structureconstructed thereon. The flatcar has a deck that functions as the A deckof the railcar. The A deck has a depressed center portion 14 between thetrucks, and end portions 15 at higher elevations. The rack structurecomprises a plurality of vertical posts 16, and B and C decks 18 and 20respectively supported by the posts.

[0025] Each of the decks is connected to the posts by vertical plates 22and knee braces 24. Tire guides 26 and a chock track 28 are provided oneach deck. Longitudinal member 30 such as roof rails and/or top chordstie the vertical posts together at their upper ends. A corrugated roof32 encloses the top of the car. Radial end doors 34 having a top paneloverlying an end portion of the roof sheet and pivotally attachedthereto are preferably employed at each end of the car.

[0026] The B deck 18 is fixed along its entire length, rather thanhaving hinged end sections as in the prior art cars discussed above, sothat the B deck contributes to the strength and rigidity of the rackstructure. To provide sufficient clearance in the A1 and A5 positions,the B deck is positioned at a higher elevation than in conventional autorack cars. Minimum clearances of h_(a), h_(b), and h_(c), measured 30″off center are maintained above the A, B and C decks respectively. Aminimum clearance of 65{fraction (15/16)}″, plus or minus 1½″, may beprovided for each of the three decks. Clearances above each of the threedecks may be approximately equal. The car is preferably capable ofaccommodating automotive vehicles up to about 63″ in height, includingvehicles such as the Chrysler PT Cruiser.

[0027] The railcar may be based on a conventional flat car, an upsillflat car, or a flat car having a 39½″ ATR (above top of rail) runningsurface. To facilitate maintenance of appropriate clearances, highcambered decks are preferably employed at both the B and C level. Theoverall height of the railcar is preferably equal to the maximum heightpermissible under AAR regulations or other applicable regulations, i.e.,20′ 2″.

[0028] Provision of fixed decks facilitates loading in that the allthree decks may be continuously loaded and unloaded without the need tostop loading and unloading to pivot the B deck end sections. Thus,circus loading is much more efficient.

[0029] The ability of the B deck 18 to function as a structural memberof the railcar from end to end may eliminate the need for cross braces,i.e., brace bays, as included in typical prior art tri-level auto racks.Elimination of the brace bays may reduce costs and weight, and may alsoincrease interior clearances, and simplify door edge protection.

[0030] The railcar described above may also eliminate the need forheavier posts at certain locations. In existing auto rack cars, thenumber 3 and number 4 posts, i.e., the third and fourth posts from theend of the car, are often heavier than other posts. In the illustratedembodiment of the invention, all of the posts may be of the same orsimilar cross-section.

[0031] The invention is not limited to the preferred embodimentdescribed above. The invention is further described in the followingclaims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A tri-level auto rack railcar comprising first,second, and third decks capable of supporting automotive vehicles duringloading, unloading and transport of such vehicles in commercial railservice, wherein the second deck has fixed end sections that extendacross the entire width of the deck and contribute strength and rigidityto the railcar structure.
 2. A railcar in accordance with claim 1wherein vertical clearances of at least h_(a), h_(b), and h_(c),measured 30″ off center are maintained above the first, second and thirddecks respectively.
 3. A railcar in accordance with claim 2 whereinh_(a), h_(b), and h_(c) are each greater than or equal to 63 in.
 4. Arailcar in accordance with claim 3 wherein h_(a), h_(b), and h_(c) areeach greater than or equal to 64 in.
 5. A railcar in accordance withclaim 3 wherein h_(a), h_(b), and h_(c) are each greater than or equalto 65 in.
 6. A railcar in accordance with claim 3 wherein h_(a), h_(b),and h_(c) are each greater than or equal to 65{fraction (5/16)} in.
 7. Arailcar in accordance with claim 3 wherein h_(a), h_(b), and h_(c) areapproximately equal, within 1½ in. of a predetermined value.
 8. Arailcar in accordance with claim 3 wherein said second and third decksare high camber decks.
 9. A railcar in accordance with claim 3 whereinsaid second and third decks are substantially the same, and are weldedin place along their entire lengths.
 10. A railcar in accordance withclaim 3 wherein said second and third decks are substantially the same,and are bolted in place along their entire lengths.